URGENT ADVISE NEEDED

[Loretta]

Went to Bushland Beach today to meet and intoduce myself to Pat (Tinman).. Had a couple of drinks and a bit of a chat. On leaving I sneaked into the scrub near the car park and found two small casuarinas (about 2 ft tall). Pulled them out and ran for my life. Now the problem I've just gone thru a few threads and one said to also collect some of the soil it came from for natural bacteria purposes. I didn't do that of course, but now have them sitting in a seasol bath. What good advise can I get on potting etc, want the best chances of survival for them as they aren't easy to get. I also collected a handful of seeds...what's the success rate with them and how do you do it...do you put them in hot water or what. Please reply asap as I don't want to risk losing them if I can avoid it.

cheers Loretta

[Amanda]

Lol... relocating

My son brings home Casaurinas from school, bare rooted and I've had a good success rate.. A good soak in a seasol bath (I use luke warm water) and into a slooshy mix of soil next day. I have a styro box which doesn't drain well and there's a good sandy clay mix from the local area. I think keeping the roots moist to get over the shock is a good idea, but this is what has worked for me while winging it. The tap roots are long and spindly and I haven't touched them and won't until they're established in a year or so, recently potted the majority and they're thriving.

[Loretta]

Lol... relocating

My son brings home Casaurinas from school, bare rooted and I've had a good success rate.. A good soak in a seasol bath (I use luke warm water) and into a slooshy mix of soil next day. I have a styro box which doesn't drain well and there's a good sandy clay mix from the local area. I think keeping the roots moist to get over the shock is a good idea, but this is what has worked for me while winging it. The tap roots are long and spindly and I haven't touched them and won't until they're established in a year or so, recently potted the majority and they're thriving.

Thanks Anja, I'm glad you replied to me, you've actually answered everything I was unsure of. Leave the tap root, soak in seasol and then plant in nice moist container. Mine were bare rooted probably in the same manner your son uses, I just reefed them out of the ground and took off with them. Well I'll be able to think more positively about them now, will plant them tomorrow.
Loretta

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Loretta,

Brett has experiences in collecting these. He might be able to comment on this.

Best regards.

[Loretta]

Hi Loretta,

Brett has experiences in collecting these. He might be able to comment on this.Best regards.

Thanks Daiviet, it would be nice if he would reply with his experience and advise.

thanks Loretta

[Graeme]

Must be Casuarina day Loretta! I went out to see my Mum today and while chatting she told me the people next door were going to bulldoze their front garden for a redo. In the front yard was a Cas that had been cut down some time ago. As it had shot again I had been eyeing it off with the view of digging it. Anyhow the Cas was going to be bulldozed and the neighbours not home, what is a man to do. Did the deed with a bit more grace than you - I used a spade .
Interested in reading Anja's comment about the tap root as the one I got today didn't have one of any note.
As with yours, mine is now sitting in a styro box full of a good open mix and Seasol rich water, lucky enough it also has a good quantity of the soil it was growing in originally.
Shall we keep our fingers crossed together for the next year?

[Damian Bee]

Loretta, wouldn't it be easier to buy yourself some forestry tubes. The species in question grows rapidly, it would work out cheaper in the long run with seedlings so why bother fussing over something you ripped out of the bush. I am not a fan of taking stock from bushland without permits. No matter what value you place on a tree in this setting, there are plenty of reasons to leave them where they are, grow one from seed or go out and buy one instead.

[Loretta]

[quote="Damian Bee"]Loretta, wouldn't it be easier to buy yourself some forestry tubes. The species in question grows rapidly, it would work out cheaper in the long run with seedlings so why bother fussing over something you ripped out of the bush. I am not a fan of taking stock from bushland without permits. No matter what value you place on a tree in this setting, there are plenty of reasons to leave them where they are, grow one from seed or go out and buy one instead.[/quote]

Hi Damian

I would by far prefer to do as you suggest but I just don't know where to go. I have checked most nurseries in Tnsv to no avail. Mind you we didn't discuss them maybe ordering one. Maybe I should try that avenue. I will certainly ring today and see if that's an option. As I mentioned in my first post I also collected seeds, I am even willing to try that if someone on the forum could give me some hints on the method. Do you have to scarify them, what do you do
cheers Loretta

[Loretta]

Must be Casuarina day Loretta! . Did the deed with a bit more grace than you - I used a spade .
Shall we keep our fingers crossed together for the next year?

Hi Graeme...that was a lucky find for sure you lucky man Obviously you will have some size on the trunk making the dig well worthwhile. Would like to see a photo if that's ok
I feel guilty now after the bollicking I just got from Damian (gentle advise really and he's right ) but I was desperate to have a Casuarina. I guess what he's actually saying is that it's not ok to hunt for native plants but field hunts are fine for introduced species and I'll keep that in mind in the future. Yes we'll keep our fingers crossed together for a high success rate with both finds. This would maybe be a good topic for the forum as a reminder to all "newbies" about the do's and don't of field hunts in general.
cheers Loretta

[Dumper]

The fungus/ bacteria is call mycorrhizal.
im just wandering if the mycorrhizal fungus on a pine is the same as a casuarina tree.

Lorretta. to get mycorrhiza going on your causurina. when u pot it up. try not to compact the soil. the soil needs to be fairly loose. put it on a spot like on top of a garden soil with lots of sun and dont move it .
dont keep your soil too wet. it's harder for the fungus to grow if it is too wet.

John

[Loretta]

The fungus/ bacteria is call mycorrhizal.
im just wandering if the mycorrhizal fungus on a pine is the same as a casuarina tree.

Lorretta. to get mycorrhiza going on your causurina. when u pot it up. try not to compact the soil. the soil needs to be fairly loose. put it on a spot like on top of a garden soil with lots of sun and dont move it .
dont keep your soil too wet. it's harder for the fungus to grow if it is too wet.

John

Thanks John...would planting it in Diatomite be ok
Loretta

[alpineart]

Hi Loretta , i collected several cassa's quite a few months ago .I like you simple pulled them out of the ground .They were up to 1.5m in height , chopped and potted in free draining mix .I have left 1 on purpose sitting in a bucket of water with no additives and it growing as good as the potted trees.It still resides in that very bucket , i will pot it up before the summer but i'm interested in how long it can sit in water and survive .Cheers Alpine

[Loretta]

Hi Loretta , i collected several cassa's quite a few months ago .I like you simple pulled them out of the ground .They were up to 1.5m in height , chopped and potted in free draining mix .I have left 1 on purpose sitting in a bucket of water with no additives and it growing as good as the potted trees.It still resides in that very bucket , i will pot it up before the summer but i'm interested in how long it can sit in water and survive .Cheers Alpine

This is where it gets very confusing Alpineart. When someone tells you to ensure the mix is loose and free draining you naturally believe that the tree doesn't like to have "wet feet". So how does it survive and actually flourish sitting in a bucket of water??? This just seems to be conflicting advise and yet it seems to work. I'd be interested if someone could tell me how this works as it obviously does

cheers Loretta

[bonscythe]

I agree with Damien Bee's comments above, don't collect native trees from their place (unless you know for sure they are about to be destroyed) even if you think you can save them, or the old 'there's heaps so I'm only taking one' theory.
It appears much more ethical to collect seed from a mature tree, with Casuarina spp. and Allocasuarina spp. it can be very easy to get heaps of seed from a few cones placed in a brown paper bag and shaken around for a minute, the seed will fall out and look a bit like tiny little flying ants.
I collected a heap yesterday and planted them out in rows of free draining propagation mix with a thin moist layer of vermiculite over the top (but sand is just as good), the ones I planted last spring are already over 35cms tall and around the width of a pencil, ready to power on this summer!
You can also look up on the CSIRO plant pages, where they describe the optimal germination techniques/substrates/temperatures for each individual species.
Good luck

[Graeme]

Isn't this thread a classic example of this wonderful Hobby of ours? Is it any wonder so many arguments start up when a group of us get together
Here, in one thread of less than a page we have not one, but several definitive methods used to grow one species of tree. We now know, in order to get Cassuarina to flourish we need to grow it in a bucket of water, a pot of wet sloppy soil or a pot of well drained dryish potting mix.
Classic example of why I always try and either start or finish any how to by saying that is how I found it to work. There are so many variables in this great hobby of ours aren't there? The only thing we can do is accept all information offered to us, analyse that information and go with what we think will work for us. and then try something else if our first choice was in error.
Also, while I agree with not removing plant material from the bush willy nilly, guys, dont come down on Loretta to hard on this occasion. Would you chastise someone for removing Murraya from the bush? How about Pyrocantha from the Victorian country side or Olives from Adellaide Parks (or just about anywhere else in Australia)? I find nothing wrong with removing "weeds" from anywhere and that is what these things all are. I haven't seen the area Loretta is talking about, but I am willing to bet there is a whole mob of Cass's there and that by next year the two she mannaged to take will be replaced by 5 more. Guys, these things are weeds and lets not make any mistakes about that. They have been given "elevated" position simply because they are an Australian weed, instead of the introduced weeds that are spreading through our bush. Not trying to put anything on any member, just asking to look at all the circumstances.
And Loretta. the tree I removed was only about 50mm across the trunk and I might have a look at a photo next year, after I am sure it will grow. By the way I only got it because it was a self sown "weed" that popped up in the garden.